New Captain 2
by Roxius
Summary: A prequel of sorts. Shinji and Hinamori's first meeting, and his way of helping Hinamori with her feelings over Aizen's imprisonment and her difficulty with getting over him. Please R & R!
1. The New Captain

For the past hour and a half, Momo Hinamori had been wandering aimlessly through the barracks, unsure of what to think or feel. She had just received the news along with the other Shinigami during lunch time. Sosuke Aizen, former captain of Fifth Division and traitor to Soul Society, was to be sentenced to the lowest level of the underground prison for 20,000 years. Many of her comrades burst into cheers and applause upon learning this. None of them could forgive Aizen for what he had done, and what he tried to do. Of course, they were completely justified in this.

Hinamori, however, had darted out of the cafeteria without a second thought. It took some time before she was far enough to escape the sound of the uproar. She couldn't believe how stupid she was. She knew that she was supposed to hate Aizen just like the others did. She had no reason to forgive him for his actions. And yet, for reasons she couldn't explain, she still felt something deep inside that wanted to believe in him. She actually wanted to believe in a murderer who cared next to nothing about her life. That painful truth hurt her more than anything.

Finally, she came to a stop. Her heart was pounding, and her feet ached. She couldn't get Aizen out of her mind. Groaning audibly, she sat herself down on a small bench, one that seemed to stand out quite well amongst the white walls. Hinamori sighed. She wished she could somehow confront Aizen in-person, ask him why he had gone down such a dark path. She knew next to nothing about the man she once thought she knew inside and out. For a time, she had convinced herself that it had been Captain Ichimaru who was behind everything. She desperately wanted him to be the true villain, and that he had been controlling Aizen like a puppet. But it wasn't true. In fact, while she had been unconscious, Aizen apparently killed his closest follower for betraying him. Aizen had done everything with the arrancars, by his own will, without even bothering to stop and consider all of those he was hurting. Like her.

'Captain Aizen...do you hate me? Is that why you won't let me be?'

"Hey. Do you think it's safe for a girl like yourself to be out here all alone? It's almost night, ya know,"

Hinamori looked up to see a rather strange fellow smiling back at her. He had strange upper teeth, neatly-lined and quite large for a human. His hair was straight-lined, blonde, hanging down to his jaw. He had a blade strapped to his side, but for some reason he was not wearing a Shihakusho as was the official uniform of all Soul Reapers. In fact, his clothes appeared quite modern. Who in the world was he?

"W-Who are you...?" Hinamori stammered. Her throat was dry, so speaking hurt a little.

"Never mind my name," the blonde man shrugged his bony shoulders, "I came out here in search of you, uh...Lieutenant of Fifth Division..."

"My name is Momo Hinamori."

"Ah that's it! Momo Hinamori! Nice name you got there,"

"Yes...uh, thanks. But who are you exactly?"

The blonde man sat down beside Hinamori, and flashed a strange grin at her. "I was sent here by the big cheese himself to come and pick you up. There's going to be an initiation for the new captain of Fifth Division, and it's only right if the Lieutenant herself is present, is it not?"

Hinamori's eyes widened. "What? A new captain? Already?" Her bottom lip trembled a little.

"Yeah, I can understand being surprised; the head honchos don't mess around, I guess. Now that we've cleaned up the whole mess that Aizen and his men made, Old Man Yama wants to reform the Thirteen Guard Companies to avoid another crisis. And his first order of business was to get new captains to replace the ones we lost. Fortunately he had a few good choices right from the get-go."

"...I see." Hinamori thought about this for a moment. This stranger seemed to know quite alot about what was going on behind the scenes; and even if what he was saying was just an educated guess, he sounded more like he was absolutely certain instead of only assuming. He was becoming more and more of a mystery in Hinamori's eyes. She was even starting to wonder if he really did come here to bring her back.

"Do you want to go?"

"I'm..." Hinamori started to say, but then she lowered her eyes, "I'm not sure if I want to. It's hard to imagine being in a Fifth Division without Captain Aizen...oops!" She quickly slapped her hands over her mouth. Talking about Aizen in a positive light was practically asking others to look down on you. Everyone in the Gotei 13 hated Aizen without exception. Hinamori, who was his lone supporter in those dark days, had been treated with distrust and contempt by her fellow Shinigami. Some had even dared to excuse her of being Aizen's spy to provide him with confidential information. None of them seemed to take into account that Aizen had literally stabbed her through the heart before running off to Hueco Mundo. Showing any amount of sympathy to that man just wasn't allowed.

"Ha ha, so you miss him, huh? That bastard? That son of a bitch who stabbed you not once, but twice? Really?" As expected, the blonde man looked quite bewildered by Hinamori's proclamation. The girl started to rise from her seat; she wasn't going to just sit by and be insulted because of feelings that she didn't even understand, herself. However, she hadn't expected what actually came next.

"You're a strange one, I'll admit, but...I can kinda see where you're coming from."

"What? What do you mean?"

The blonde man leaned back, hands behind his head, using the wall as a support. "Aizen...he treated you well, huh? When he was pretending to be a good person. He made you feel like you belonged. In a world like ours, where you usually grow up in the slums without food, home or family to care for you, to have someone actually give a damn about your well-being means a whole hell of a lot. It's not an uncommon feeling you have; hell, someone who was important to others died in the war too. They're probably worse off than you are right now."

Hinamori stared at him. She thought about how Captain Tousen had been declared dead. He was someone who had been important to both Hisagi and Komamura, as a teacher and as a friend. It must be difficult. Hinamori was starting to see what this man was trying to tell her, but she could tell he wasn't near done talking yet.

"You shouldn't be ashamed of missing that person, though. It's only natural to want to grieve. But...you should forget the Aizen you know now. He's not worth it. The only thing he's ever cared about is himself and power, and nothing else. Worrying about him is only going to cause you more pain."

"What? But...but you just said- Argh, listen, Captain Aizen meant so much to me! You can't just tell me to forget him! I've tried but it's just so difficult! He was...he was so important to me!"

He ignored her, and continued. "However, there's nothing wrong in remembering the old Aizen that you trusted. He was the one who made you happy most of all. I think it would be better for that Aizen's sake, regardless if he had been real or just a lie, that you simply remember him in your heart now and moved on from whatever he left behind. Sometimes, it's better to ignore the bitter truth, and just hold onto the parts of the past you loved most. Don't you think so?" The blonde man put on a playful smirk.

The girl felt something stir deep inside of her at that moment. The memories of Aizen, the Aizen that had been so kind to her, were rushing back. It was getting difficult to fight back the tears.

"But...but Captain Aizen...is it really okay for me to do that? They told me...just to forget everything...I don't know what to do!"

"Hey, what do those old bastards know? They've made alot of crappy decisions in the past. Trust me, I should know! If you ask me, I think you should stop obsessing over the asshole, but I agree that it isn't easy to just erase your memories about him. Look. Don't worry about it so much. If anything, be happy that you can honor that man's short-lived kindness to you. Think about that man you knew, and only him."

"I...I...ahh..."

"Huh?"

Hinamori simply stood in place as hot tears rolled down her pale cheeks. Her body was shaking all over. She couldn't even begin to say anything, for if she opened her mouth, she was sure to begin sobbing. She thought about Aizen, and his tender smile, and all of the ways he had treated her so kindly. She desperately missed that Aizen, but the man's truthful words made it all the more obvious to her that that Aizen was gone forever. The dream she wanted to shut herself into was crumbling all around her, making way for reality. A reality where she had to move on from him. It hurt so much. More tears poured out. She continued to stare upward, towards the sky.

The blonde man was beginning to look a little uncomfortable. It seemed like he hadn't expected her to suddenly burst out crying like this. He was shuffling uncomfortably in his seat as he watched her. He had been able to talk to her with an unusual amount of wisdom, but he was totally lost when it came to this.

"Um...you're not gonna keep crying like that, are ya?" he nervously asked, "'Cuz let me tell ya, I'm no good when it comes to crying girls; they're like the bane of my existence!"

Despite the intense emotions running through her at the moment, Hinamori couldn't help but laugh a little. This man was so strange, yet he had helped her understand herself a little better too. She wiped her face against her sleeve. It would take some time for her to fully get over Aizen's betrayal, but she was certain she could do it now. A great weight was beginning to lift off of her tiny shoulders.

"T-Thank you, for talking to me about this. I should try and do what you said; maybe I'll be able to get past this pain a little easier..."

"That's the spirit! And thank you for not crying too long,"

Hinamori laughed again. "I think I'll go and meet my new captain now. Oh, but by the way," she turned to face him, saying, "You never did tell me your name yet."

The blonde man jumped to his feet, and shot out his hand to her for a handshake instead of the usual bow. "The name is Shinji Hirako...the new captain of Fifth Division. Or rather, the previous one just being reinstated."

Hinamori blinked. "...What?"

"And I've suffered under that bastard too when he used to be my lieutenant and betrayed me, so I guess we already share something in common, huh? In any case, it looks like we can get along. Do you mind if I tell people that you were my first love?"

Hinamori was at a loss, utterly speechless. Any color remaining in her face was gone.

At first, she had thought it might be strange to open up to a complete stranger, someone she was unlikely to ever meet again. However, she had been so grateful that someone cared that she threw all caution to the wind. But now, how was she supposed to feel knowing she had wept openly in front of her new captain? She had been so mentally exhausted from everything that happened so far that her knees buckled, and she collapsed in a heap. Shinji gasped.

"Aw crap! Hey, hey, Hinamori, was it? Are you okay? Wake up! C'mon! Don't die on me on the first day!"

Hinamori was long gone and would be for some time, so Shinji had no choice but to carry her. That was why he had to attend his captain initiation ceremony with his Lieutenant slumped over on his back. Fortunately for him, she was quite light, although Shinji could have sworn he heard Shunsui snickering at him. In any case, after the events from earlier that day, the new Fifth Division Captain was just grateful he didn't end up with female Lieutenant like Hiyori. Hopefully the two of them would be able to get along a little better.


	2. Epilogue

It had almost an entire year since the re-induction of the Vizards Shinji, Kensei and Rose into the Gotei 13. They had settled back into life in the barracks quite easily, the other captains accepting their presence, and it seemed like the entirety of Soul Society had returned to a state of relative peace. Life was flowing onward as it should. However, there was still a dark cloud of uncertainty that lingered in Toshiro Hitsugaya's heart. It was something that he thought about time and again, but never had he found the chance to subdue those concerns.

It regarded his close friend Hinamori. He knew better than most just how broken-hearted she was over the betrayal of her former captain Aizen. Her ever-deepening despair nearly drove her to death more than once. Hitsugaya had wanted to be able to help her, but his duties as the captain of Tenth Division prevented him from doing so. He couldn't even begin to to imagine the words that could soothe the emotional injuries she had suffered. It pained him to admit that he was unable to help her. Although she has gotten better since then, he still didn't know for sure, especially after she obtained a new captain.

Hitsugaya had only become acquainted with Hinamori's new captain Shinji recently, but he still didn't know what he personally thought about the blonde-haired man. He was somewhat crude, had a strange sense of fashion, played jazz music in his office almost all of the time, and had a tendency to slack off with paperwork. That deeply bothered Hitsugaya; Shinji reminded him alot of his own Lieutenant Matsumoto. How could someone like that work truly be a good captain? And especially when their lieutenant was someone as fragile as Hinamori? There was a good chance she would get even worse off with him around.

'Maybe I should go and check up on them. I probably have enough time today,' Hitsugaya thought to himself on one particular day. After dragging Matsumoto out of the bar and back to her desk for work, he left on his own to find Hinamori. Of course, the first place he went to check was the Fifth Division barracks. Hitsugaya stepped out of Shinji's empty office, his confusion mounting. He quickly called over a bored-looking shinigami who was passing by.

"Do you know where Captain Shinji and Lieutenant Hinamori have gone?"

The shinigami removed the cigarette dangling between his lips and scratched his bald head. "I believe they went up onto the roof, Captain Hitsugaya. I'm not sure why, though. I only saw them a little while ago,"

"Ah I see. Thank you. And put out that cigarette. You're not allowed to bring back items from the human world without permission, and besides, smoking is bad for your health." Hitsugaya replied, and then he was off in a flash. The shinigami sighed.

"Ugh...understood, Captain..."

Now that he was looking across the rooftops, it did not take long for Hitsugaya to locate Shinji and Hinamori. He was surprised, though. It was on the same rooftop that the young girl, his lieutenant and that traitorous bastard Aizen celebrated his birthday with him, watching fireworks on a winter night. It felt like it had been eons ago since those long-missed days. Hitsugaya sighed. He made sure to keep himself hidden so he could listen in without being seen. He had to know just what those two were talking about.

"Captain Shinji, are you sure that it's alright for us to be skipping work like this? The Captain-Commander is not the most understanding of people!" Hinamori spoke, worry evident in her voice.

Shinji shrugged. "Hey, don't worry about it! It wasn't even alot; it'd take less than an hour to finish it all. You need to learn to relax sometimes,"

"I AM relaxed! I just can't forget about my duties, either, though!"

"Geez, you really are high-strung..."

Hinamori stuck her tongue out at him. The two of them sat together in silence for the next few minutes. Hitsugaya waited patiently.

"So..."

"Hmm?"

"How are you feeling?"

"How am I feeling?"

"Yeah. That's what I asked. Can't a Captain ask his Lieutenant how she feels?"

Hinamori laughed; it had been a while since Hitsugaya heard it. "No, it's alright. I was just surprised, is all. I feel...fine."

"Hey!" Shinji raised an inquisitive eyebrow, and leaned closer to the small girl, "Don't think I didn't notice that little pause in there! I doubt it's just the work we're ignoring that's bothering you, too. What's the problem?"

"It's...it's nothing, really! Honest!"

Shinji continued to stare at her.

"Okay, okay! I'll tell you. I'm really trying not to, and I don't mean it, but sometimes, I think about HIM." Hinamori lowered her eyes. Her voice got quiet when she said the word 'him'. It was obvious to Hitsugaya that she was referring to the man she had once loved, and who had stabbed her through the heart. Aizen. Shinji, however, did not seem perturbed in the slightest.

"...Is that all?"

"What?"

"Like I told you, it'll be hard. I know you can't just forget about him completely, and I don't expect you to do that either. You didn't start blubbering like before, though, I hope?"

Hinamori's entire face flushed red with embarrassment as she exclaimed, "O-Of course I didn't! What do you take me for? It just bothers me that I would think about him and miss him! I don't want to be stuck holding onto him forever. I only want to remember the Aizen that was kind to me, but...at times I think about how he's still alive down there in prison, all alone and bound in wrappings; it makes my heart ache."

Shinji reached out, patting Hinamori on the shoulder. It was a gentle pat. "...We just need to go at this one step at a time, okay?" he said. Hinamori steadily calmed down. She was glad she had someone else in her life besides Toshiro that she could trust now.

"You're right...thank you, Captain."

"It's no problem. I'll make sure to help you through it. I can't be a very good Captain if my own Lieutenant is having issues that I can't fix, right?"

"Ha ha ha," Hinamori wiped a finger across her eye, "I suppose you are right, Captain."

Hitsugaya felt a small smile tug at his lips. It seemed that all of his fears about Shinji were unjustified. Hinamori had been placed in good hands after all. He couldn't have been more happy for her. It wouldn't be long before she would be the way she once was, hopefully like the girl that Hitsugaya had known almost all his life. He had to make sure to thank Shinji personally some time.

'However,' Hitsugaya thought soon after, watching apprehensively as Shinji attempted to make Hinamori laugh with a variety of 'funny' faces, 'I still wonder why he must act so immature sometimes. Where do we keep getting such bizarre Captains?'


End file.
